Tina Turner was one of my favorite rock stars. I liked everything about her--her voice and music, her performances and personal story, her wisdom in stepping out of the spotlight when she believed it was time. The death of someone you admire is always a loss.
I'm grateful I got to see her in concert. It remains one of the best shows I've ever seen. Tina was approaching age 60 at the time, but most teenagers would have had trouble keeping up with her. She was all over that stage. The concert's finale was an extended rendition of "Nutbush City Limits." As the song began, Tina climbed into the bucket of a cherry picker that had been wheeled out in front of the stage. As the driver rolled the rig slowly around the arena, the bucket was raised and lowered to different levels so that everyone could see her up close. Despite the dizzying heights she was lifted to so that fans in the upper back rows could see her, Tina kept singing, dancing, and never stopped smiling. You could see she was having more fun than anyone else.
Tina Turner was simply "The Best." It's sad when such an electrifying talent leaves us. Fortunately, we'll always have the videos.
